


High Intensity Inadvertent Tripup

by Ononymous



Series: Undertale Anniversary Requests 2018 [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Undertale Neutral Route - Empress Undyne Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 19:18:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16102097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: To rally her people in the wake of the horrors inflicted by the fallen human, Undyne demands the utmost from them. Perhaps more than they can give.





	High Intensity Inadvertent Tripup

**Author's Note:**

> Original suggestion: Emperor Undyne making a new law that all monsters must be able to perform at least one push-up due to battle readiness or whatever. Drama ensues when she finds out Alphys is seriously out of shape and might go to jail because of it

"Unh! Take that! Ungh! And _that!_ "

In her private training facilities, once her back yard, Undyne was boxing. At least, a neutral observer would be required to define it as boxing, given the manner in which she was mercilessly wailing on a punching bag.

"Think! You! Can! Just! Come! Down! Here! And! Kill-!"

The bag accepted the abuse as stoically as the face crudely drawn on it expressed. The hypothetical boxing commissioner observing the match would now have had to disqualify her, because she'd moved on to kicks.

"What! Did! We! Do! To! You? What! Did! _**He?! NGAH!!!**_ "

Disqualification quickly escalated to criminal charges for assault with a deadly weapon, as a blue spear repeatedly perforated the innocent bag, sand and weights spilling out from it as Undyne's punctuated tirade lost all intelligibility, save the occasional curse, the orders she'd be giving the royal guard later ever more justified. With a final leaping kick accompanied by a roar of rage, the dying bag was wrenched from its hook, crashing into the wall with a sickening crunch. The victor of the fight was past caring whether the wall would need plastered, the catharsis from the workout was all that mattered as she closed her eye, breathing deeply, almost imagining the booming applause those large hands would be giving her prowess, those purple eyes that never seemed to match the rest of his expression...

"First Citizen?"

She blinked rapidly, covering her vulnerability before turning to face the interloper. "Yes, Flopsy?"

The bulky royal guardsman stood to attention, looking oddly lonesome, but maintaining a professional manner. "I have the Minimal Physical Standards Ordinance ready for your signature."

"Good! About time we made sure they can do what they're supposed to in case of..." her voice tailed away at the prospect. To distract herself, she seized the document and pen he offered and stabbed her signature onto it. "There! Take this to central barracks and make some copies. Delegate some new recruits to spread them to Hotland and New Home, but take charge of Waterfall and Snowdin learning about it yourself. You might encourage them just by your... your you-ness."

"Sure thing, Chief. And, uh, what about the Ruins?"

"What _about_ the Ruins?" There was only one resident there these days, and Undyne had no interest in coddling a traitor. Better she serve as an early warning system next time she sticks her snoot in the air and puts her principles above common sense. "Oh, and can ya get the Drakes to make another punching bag? Went a little overboard again."

"Very good, Chief." He snapped a salute before leaving the room. Her venting session complete, Undyne retired to the bathroom to wash up, figuring she might have time to look at the proposed new armour designs Mettaton had submitted. The pink she could take or leave, but the general shape had what she was looking for. Jagged. A little scary even to her. Ready to strike fear into those worthless humans when they spilled from the mountain and cascaded into-

 _Knock knock_. She grabbed a towel to dry off. "Come in!" She heard the front door open and close as she made her way to greet whoever it was.

Whoever it was had her tail in her hands, fiddling nervously with it. "H-h-h-h-hello, Undyne."

"Alphys!" The first sincere smile she'd worn that day appeared. "Come with an update on the barrier?"

"Oh, um, n-no, that's..." her update escaped Undyne's hearing, but she wouldn't get a chance to ask again. "I j-just heard from that new b-bunny recruit y-y-you were passing s-s-some sort of law about ex-ex-ex-exercise?"

"Yup!" Her razor teeth grew more prominent. "Doctor, you know what happened with the _human_." The last word was spat out. "We lived and died at their mercy. We're all too soft. Even me. Beaten by acute dehydration! And that punk rubbed it in my face before they went on to..." A dull thud announced Undyne's fist meeting the wall. "Never again! We have to be ready. In mind is one thing, but body is another. Everyone needs to hone themselves for the day you free us and we hold them - _ALL_ of them - to account."

"Oh..." Alphys' tail would develop a crook if she didn't stop twisting it. "W-w-w-w-what did you have in m-mind?"

"Nothing too strenuous." For now. "I just want every monster to be able to perform a single pushup, to prove they're at least willing to train. Refusal or failure results in a little jail time, as long as you don't give any lip."

"Oh, i-i-is that right?"

"Yup! No time for babysteps, Alphys, this is war! It's do or die time-"

" _ButUndyneIcan'tdoapushupohpleasedon'tarrestme!_ "

Her smile vanished. "Beg pardon?"

"I c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-can't d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-"

"Out with it!"

Undyne's command did not unjam Alphys' vocal chords - quite the opposite - so she resorted to a demonstration. Awkwardly she lay on her stomach, tail now pointed skywards like a skinnier stand-in for her, and she rested her hands on the floor. She grunted and groaned, pushing with all her might. Undyne knew what fake effort sounded like, and there was none to be heard from the floor. Alphys didn't budge an inch. It wasn't long before she gave up, gasping heavily.

"...oh."

"P-p-please... don't... l-l-lock me up."

As was traditional for when the situation called for a calm head, Undyne got angry. "Why the hell didn't you tell me before I signed the stupid ordinance?!"

Indignation turned Alphys' head to the leader of the Monsters. "You d-didn't... tell anyone you... w-were making... this mandatory."

"Dammit Alphys, I can't have the Royal Scientist locked up! What if that's when you'd have figured out how to break the barrier?"

"Um, ab-ab-about that..."

"And I can't just rescind a law I passed ten minutes ago! I can't afford to look indecisive, or nobody will take me seriously! And if they don't take my plans seriously, they'll never be able to defend themselves! And if I don't get there in time- **Dammit!** "

A blue spear perforated the welcome mat. Its owner plopped down besides it, sulking. The prospective fugitive looked at the flaming hair the Empress, the title she herself refused.

"Undyne... we d-don't have to be on c-constant alert, do we?"

"...if he'd been on alert, maybe..."

They were both remembering the throne room, after the ruckus turned every surviving head in New Home towards the castle. Even though they had arrived at different times, and neither had been the first, their feelings of horror and sorrow had come from the same source. Their shared solace may have led to something, but it wasn' long before Undyne saw the direction the kingdom was going. The direction _she_ was taking it. The direction of certain death. Enough was enough. No more time for such distractions.

"...sh-should I turn myself in to c-central barracks?"

Undyne was a hair's breadth from saying yes. This was all to keep her- keep them all safe, wasn't it? But that impulse was very much at odds with the rest of her instincts. Having landed from her great leap forward, only now was she looking around. What was all this to achieve?

_It was to finish what he started, that's what it was._

That reminder stopped her from doing something stupid. However even with talking herself out of a paradigm shift, Undyne still had a problem. Alphys was still the best shot they had at breaking the barrier. Even a minimum sentence would leave the problem unattended for too long.

_Minimum sentence..._

"Alphys!" she yelled. The tail made a soft thud as the Royal Scientist rolled over in shock. "Answer me truthfully. Have you ever been convicted of a crime before?"

"Huh? N-no, Undyne."

"Perfect! Then as this is your first offense, I hereby commute your sentence to community service."

"Oh. Oh!" Alphys' nervous energy stabilised to regular parameters. "Thank you. Thank you! Wh-what do you want me to do?"

* * *

"I WANT YOU TO NOT GIVE UP, I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

The First Citizen viewed the session passively, an impressive accomplishment. The dozen or so monsters lay on the floor, grunting with all their might, while the Royal Guardsman straddled between them, resplendent in his "JOGBOY" shirt.

"WHY JERRY, I THINK YOU LIFTED YOURSELF A LITTLE!" said Papyrus.

"Cool. Imma take five, then."

"FIVES ARE NOT EARNED UNTIL YOU COMPLETE YOUR SERVICE! YOU SHOULD BE MORE LIKE THAT NICE WOMAN MY BROTHER INTRODUCED ME TO IN THE RUINS, BECAUSE SHE-" he caught who he was talking about, quickly looked over to the scaly blue death glare heading his way, and changed subject. "KEEP TRYING, IS WHAT I'M SAYING. DOCTOR! DO YOU NEED MORE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT?"

"No... S-sir..." gasped Alphys, quickly wiping her brow and looking over at her leader's now softened expression. "I've g-got... plenty..."

"CAPITAL!"

As Papyrus returned to the front of the exercise class, the monster at the far left corner lay quite still, unable to lift his body owing to the lack of upper body strength.

"This law sucks," said Monsterkid.

**Author's Note:**

> Pastebin version: https://pastebin.com/zA5KEgpk
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
